As you guys know, I’ve been diving into all things related to hormones, balancing hormones, and my cycle. I recently listened to this podcast episode which prompted me to purchase Alisa Vitti’s new book. I’ve learned SO MUCH about women’s health, menstruation, and hormones from this book. Her book breaks down all 4 phases in our monthly ~28 day cycle. Our bodies are going through different processes in each phase which impact hormone levels, energy, mood, creative, socialization, etc. Therefore, how/what we eat, how we move our bodies, and what we put our energy into should look different in each cycle. This concept of “cycle syncing” has blown my mind and I wish I knew all of this information about my cycle in my teens.
Being passionate about fitness and exercise I found the section of cycle syncing workouts the most interesting. In the podcast episode linked above (and in the book) Alisa explains how most human studies on exercise and diet are conducted on men. Men’s bodies are the exact same 24/7 and female bodies are not. So, for example, “studies show” HIIT workouts and intermittent fasting are very beneficial for weight loss, muscle gain, and health. The studies that were conducted only on men and showed positive outcomes are then translated into the media that these practices are healthy for EVERYONE. This has completely backfired for women’s health and is actually making women sick!
I learned that most of us are doing the wrong workouts at the wrong time in our cycle, which can actually lead to an increase in cortisol and even weight gain. Personally, even up until recently I would push myself to do harder workouts than my body was up for. I had an idea of what a balanced workout week looked like and I would push through fatigue to accomplish my workout plan. I now have a much better understanding of how I should be adjusting my workout based on my cycle. I carefully track my cycle (I love this app to track it) and now create my weekly workout schedule based on what cycle I’m in.
I’m no longer pushing myself to do a spin or HIIT class while menstruating and no longer have the guilt of skipping these workouts when my hormones and energy are at their lowest! Listening to my body and having the knowledge that my body needs (and works better!) to move differently based on where I’m at in my cycle!
Here is the cycle breakdown:
FOLLICULAR PHASE (7-10 days)
These are the first few day after your bleed and energy is starting to rise again! Take advantage of a little energy boost and transition to more cardiovascular workouts like running, biking, hiking, jumping rope, or trying a new class you’ve been interested in. This is the time your body will react positively to harder workouts and when you can boost your metabolism, shed weight, and build lean muscle.
Alisa (and my acupuncturist told me this as well) notes that if you’re dealing with hormone imbalance, anxiety, depression, fatigue, or trying to lose weight, you should limit your harder workouts to 30 minutes to prevent over-stressing the body and can lead to fat storage.
OVULATORY PHASE (3-4 days)
This phase is the shortest, but when you have the highest energy to burn! Get after it!! This is a great time to do those HIIT, bootcamp, power yoga, and cycle classes!
LUTEAL PHASE (10-14 days)
In the first half of the luteal phase you will likely still have a good amount of energy, but might want to lay off the high impact workouts. This is a good time to focus on strength training and building lean muscle mass. During the first half of this phase you can still do some HIIT, but it might feel good to lift weights and take an intense yoga class.
During the second part of the luteal phase reproductive hormones are dwindling turning off muscle building mode in your body. This is a good time to focus on workouts such as pilates, barre, and basic yoga.
MENSTRUAL PHASE (3-7 days)
Hormones are at their absolute lowest while bleeding and so is energy! Any sort of intense workouts during this phase will totally backfire and can actually result in fat storage- yikes! This is the time to engage in activities that feel restorative such as walking, mat pilates, breath work, yin yoga, stretching/foam rolling, and resting. Get adequate sleep and rest during this phase.
I’m still new to cycle syncing, but it really makes so much sense to me. Cycle syncing my workouts also gives me permission to listen to and become more in tune with my body, while keeping my workouts varied and enjoyable.
xx, A
Resource: In the Flo by Alisa Vitti
